Perch

I spent yesterday afternoon at the 420's with my buddy Charlie, who is getting back into climbing after a 7 year hiatus.

Spending the entire afternoon in the main area, we played around on the Warm-up Boulder, with Charlie getting very close to the V3 Roof problem; a feat, considering how many feet Charlie has on him. Ok, Ashley, not everyone who is short pulls like a mad-man (or mad-woman in your case). The crux for Charlie on this problem is getting over the bulge created by the roof to the sloper near the top of the boulder, a move he has to do dynamically.

Moving the pads between our attempts, I would give my project, Perch, a few goes and then Charlie would work on his problem. I'd previously always felt disadvantaged when working on Perch, swearing from the start (3 points of contact in the starting hold) that this problem was very height dependent. Working out the crux, I realized that (perhaps) I had not given this problem as much credit as it deserves. Currently, on MountainProject.com, it has been discussed that starting the problem higher makes for a more quality line. I personally disagree, feeling that the extended crux on Perch is what makes this a truly remarkable problem.

With a smile on my face, a large bruise developing on my right ring finger, and a small amount of snow flurrying in the air, we decided to move over to the Puffin' Stone where I showed Charlie the beta for the Stoner Traverse and I began working on finishing the Puffin' Traverse. Working through all the moves, I made the left hand throw for the lip, missing my mark completely. Don't worry, Puffin', you're going down next time!

I am planning on running down to Shelf Road this weekend to (gasp) get on some ropes with a friend of mine, Tina. I haven't been on a rope since this weekend, so the prospect of a weekend of being tied in had my nerves a little bit rattled but, I can't pass up the invitation for sick limestone climbing.

It was a good day, it'll be a good weekend. Talk to you soon!